Ned Rorem “has a novel theory that newspapers and critics shaped the county’s musical conservatism in the early 20th century, entrenching a certain Eurocentric repertory because that’s what newspaper people believed their audience wanted to hear and read about. ‘The general public avoids contemporary music. But of course now most contemporary musc is comparatively listenable. It’s a twentieth century thing’.”
Tag: 08.24.08
Recession? Not For Video Games
“Americans spent $1.19 billion on video game software and hardware in July, up a whopping 28 percent from the prior year. And that doesn’t include computer-based games, according to market research firm NPD Group, which tracked only sales of new consoles, software and accessories. For the year so far, video game hardware and software sales have soared 35 percent above the year-ago level, to $9.47 billion.”
Tough Year For Seattle Bookstores
Seattle has more bookstores per capita than any other city in the country, according to the “America’s Most Literate Cities” survey conducted by Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University — 174 at last count. But running a bookstore has always been an occupation for dreamers, and area independent stores have had to confront the realities of wresting a living from a low-margin business in an increasingly expensive town.
Bass Town, USA
“If it weren’t for Detroit and Philadelphia, the history of modern jazz would be a lot shorter and a lot less hip. But when you narrow the focus specifically to bass players, the connections become even more striking. The roll call includes more gods per capita than from any other city.”
Rickenbacker Can’t Make Guitars Fast Enough
The company that made the first electric guitar and whose instruments were popularized by the Beatles in the 1960s can’t make them fast enough. “We’re back-ordered two years,” company owner John Hall said. So he raised prices on all 6- and 12-string guitars and basses by as much as 20 percent this year to cool demand. “It hasn’t completely done that,” he admitted.
Moroccan Music Festival Vs. Ignorance
The Casablanca Festival attracts an estimated 2 million people for free concerts at a dozen venues. Casablanca’s is only one of about 400 yearly festivals sponsored by authorities across that country. But “the Moroccan state’s promotion of cultural events and leisure activities hangs from a political skeleton. The country’s increasingly powerful Islamist groups view it as a deliberate attempt to deviate youth from traditional Islamic values.”
Writers’ Conference – Somebody’s Gotta Schlep The Meals
“At the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the job falls to two dozen young writers who serve as waiters for the two-week summer summit, donning aprons and name tags to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to the 225 participants. Bread Loaf crumbs, they’re not. Most are professors, graduate students in the fine arts or prize-winning writers, chosen from 600 applicants for work-study scholarships that cover the $2,300 tuition.”
Can Pittsburgh Symphony Stay In The Top Tier If Its Salaries Aren’t?
“Historically a top orchestra in terms of salaries, the PSO musicians base is now ninth in the country and moving further down at nearly every announcement of a major orchestra settling a contract.”
Australian Wins Genée International Ballet Competition
“A total of 53 dancers, including 10 from Canada, had been competing in the past week for one of 16 spots in finals. The Genée has been staged for the past 80 years by the Royal Academy in London and since 2002 has alternated between the U.K. and overseas.”
Does Classical Music Have A Place In Politics?
“Politicians use classical music rather like they use white-tie galas and red carpets. It adds dignity and intensifies an occasion, making it more serious and profound. But the music heard at political events is all too often ignored, despite its often huge symbolic importance. What message is there in Gergiev’s choice of Shostakovich’s wartime potboiler for an Ossetian victory concert?”